Camp Kesem

by Camp Kesem staff

In February 2001, Sam and
Matthew’s father was diagnosed
with prostate cancer.
For five years, he fought to live, and
then he passed away when Sam was ten
and Matthew was eight. Their mother
says, “Living with and losing a parent
to cancer is something no child should
ever have to experience.”

Three years later, the boys’ mother
discovered Camp Kesem. She didn’t
know much about the camp, but knew
that the boys needed to be with other
kids who “got” what they were going
through.

At first, Sam and Matthew were
reluctant to join in. But within 30 minutes,
they were laughing and playing
with the other kids – reveling in the
energy that the counselors created. When
they saw their mother still standing
nearby, one of them asked, “Why are
you still here?” She says she “did the
little happy dance and got in my car.”

On the surface, Camp Kesem looks
like any overnight summer camp – days
filled with skits, songs, sports, and tie-dying
t-shirts. But the camp, a national
nonprofit organization that provides
free, week-long overnight camps for
children who have a parent who’s been
diagnosed with cancer, is anything
but typical.

When children’s parents are diagnosed
with cancer, their lives are turned
upside-down. The complexity of emotions
that they experience can easily
go without attention, and it is often
challenging to find peers they can
relate to, resulting in feelings of isolation
and fear. One camper’s parent
says, “It helped normalize the situation
[of dealing with her parent’s cancer]
and showed her it’s okay for kids in
this situation to laugh, have fun, be
silly, and act like kids.”

On the surface, Camp Kesem looks like any overnight
summer camp but the camp is anything but typical.

Founded in 2000, Camp Kesem has
been growing and expanding across the
country. In the summer of 2010, Camp
Kesem operated in 23 locations.

Camp Kesem is a nonprofit organization
that simultaneously serves families
coping with cancer and develops a generation
of leaders. All camp programs
are planned, fundraised, and staffed by
volunteer college students who, among
many other benefits, gain essential business
and leadership experience. Student
volunteers are dedicated to providing
high-quality programs, and they often
leave Camp Kesem changed. One
student says, “I consider CK to be the
most important thing I’ve done in my
life. It is one of the most life-changing
organizations I have been a part of.”